Beyond Ambulances: How GMR is Redefining Emergency Medical Services

Welcome to FinTech TV.

I'm Johnny Fernandez.

Global Medical Response GMR is the largest provider of emergency medical services in the country, operating a comprehensive air and ground network.

The company recently went public on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker GMRS.

And here to discuss this and More Nick Loporcaro, Board Chair and CEO from Global Medical Response (GMR).

Nick, welcome to Fintech TV.

Thank you, Johnny.

Pleasure to be here, Nick.

Big day for you guys.

So for investors watching today, what should they understand about GMR that goes beyond ambulances and emergency transport?

A couple of things.

One, we are the largest when you think about size and scale.

60% of the US population resides in the community that we GMR service in one shape or form.

That's 200 million Americans are in catchment that all dial 911 when they have a perceived medical emergency.

So we're the largest ground operator, air operator, integrated air and ground.

We have nurse navigation services.

We capture calls that may not need a dispatch of an ambulance, and we get those individuals to alternate sites of care, urgent care.

We'll take care of them ourselves.

So this ability, we had 5.5 million patient encounters last year.

That's 15,000 patient encounters daily that we treat.

That's great.

And your team roughly supports 5.5 million patients like you said, you've encountered across the year more than 60% of the US population.

So why does that skill matter so much in an emergency healthcare situation?

Well, first and foremost, you know, the need for services like ours just continues to build.

You think about.

More people now and access issues and getting to primary care.

They're using emergency rooms for primary care.

We're able to catch those.

The growing population, as you look at the trajectory of the US, you go back to our ability to continue to add those other services as an organization so we can touch those patients in different ways as well.

So you've described GMR as an essential healthcare infrastructure.

So what does that actually mean when someone's calling 911?

So first and foremost, why are you going to call 911?

You need something, right?

You have an emergency and you need someone on the other end of that line to respond, and we're there, EMS in general, GMR at scale.

And so when you're getting that, you need to make sure that there is a unit, there are clinicians ready, there are people ready to come to you.

We're the front of the front line.

There's no one further upstream than we are, and you think about where we can navigate those patients to and how we can take care of them.

GMR is the only national provider with such a comprehensive air and ground capabilities.

Why does that level of coordination matter?

You think about it.

If you're going to be transported by air, there's likelihood that a ground unit either took you there or picked you up to get you to the other site as well.

And for the communities we serve, in particular, when you think about rural communities, that combination of getting you large distances and then getting you to the ground to the provider or trauma center that you need to be at, that coordination, we're fully integrated.

So right now the front door of the health care system is under strain.

We know that ER departments, they are overcrowded.

Rural hospitals are closing.

So where does EMS fit in this evolving system?

It's interesting.

I'm so glad you brought that up because you know we get challenged on when you look at all of these issues, we're the solution.

When you call 911, this concept of everybody thinks we're going to come get you and automatically bring you to the emergency room.

When you look at the GMR model, one, we're going to determine do I need to get you anywhere first and foremost, can I take care of you?

So we're mitigating that need of clogging up those emergency rooms and getting people access to care that they require.

So today was a big day for you guys.

What does this IPO signal, not just for GMR, but for how the market is starting to view EMS as a core part of the healthcare delivery?

You know that's the most important thing for us.

Listen.

The financials helping us delever sort of build that strong foundation for growth is great.

The most important thing of going public today, no pun intended, is our ability to publicly educate what EMS really does.

And what we really do is we're a healthcare services delivery organization, and we're touching patients and taking care of them when they need it the most.

So looking ahead, how do these capabilities change the role of EMS in the future of healthcare?

Well, you think about the examples we just talked about, right?

Access issues are just getting exacerbated.

So now in our model, maybe you don't need to go to the emergency room.

Maybe I can take you to an urgent care center, or maybe I can take you to a behavioral health center, or maybe I can take you to your infusion there, or maybe I don't take you anywhere.

Maybe my medics take care of you at home.

And that's where we can relieve some of the bandwidth issues that the system is under.

So last question, 12 months from now, what would success look like for patients, communities, and the healthcare system if GMR delivered on this vision?

One, you'd see our patient encounter numbers go up.

We would touch more people first and foremost.

Most importantly, we're going to show you based on our clinical protocols the outcomes and the impact of those interventions.

Today we're tied into 1500 hospitals and we can track the outcome of our intervention and what we did for those individuals.

Nick, well, thank you so much for your time and congratulations on going public.

Really do appreciate you stopping by here at FinTech TV and Global Medical Response now a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.

I'm Johnny Fernandez and you're watching FinTech TV.